Parabens are chemicals widely used in cosmetics and detergency as preservatives, precisely to prevent mould.
They are generally from synthetic sources, although one of them is from natural as one insect emits it to chase predators away. They are readily biodegradable, so environmentally they are not concerning as they do not persist in the environment.
Indeed they are not recommendable, because they are long-term toxic, particularly for they interact with the body’s hormones giving bad effects to our health. In recent years, the main public authorities in the world are studying deeply endocrine disruption. They are realizing that many chemicals show this toxicity and also that effects on population are really long-term: if exposure happens during people’s main developmental phases – from conception to puberty – may show effects through adulthood. These effects range from metabolic syndrome (diabetes, obesity), to reproductive problems, to some kinds of cancers; however some effects may involve childhood too (cognitive difficulties, birth defects).
Parabens are some of the chemicals able to interfere with endocrine system in in vitro tests and in mammals, with estrogen-like and anti-androgenic effects. After specific investigations by French Agency for the Safety of Health Products (ANSM), in 2014 European Commission lowered the maximum concentration allowed in cosmetic creams for two parabens (propyl and butyl in particular); in 2011 Danish government, for more stringent precaution, banned various parabens from products intended for kids lower than 3 years old.
Indeed the European Commission itself considers parabens with medium concern as, even if they do accumulate neither in the environment nor in the body, they are however spread through cosmetics and food.
Bensos chose not to use any parabens in detergents and in cosmetics.
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